Andrew Caldecott

1558: Twelve children, gifted far beyond their years, are banished by their Tudor queen to the town of Rotherweird. Some say they are the golden generation; some say the devil's spawn. But everyone knows they are something to be revered - and feared. Four and a half centuries on, cast adrift from the rest of England by Elizabeth I and still bound by its ancient laws, Rotherweird's independence is subject to one disturbing condition: nobody, but nobody, studies the town or its history. Then an Outsider arrives, a man of unparallelled wealth and power, enough to buy the whole of Rotherweird - deeply buried secrets and all . . . Welcome to Rotherweird.

Rotherweird

'A book with special and dangerous properties' Hilary Mantel, bestselling author of Wolf Hall 'Enthralling' M.R. Carey, bestselling author of The Girl With All the Gifts 'An imaginative tour de force' The Times 1558: Twelve children, gifted far beyond their years, are banished by their Tudor queen to the town of Rotherweird. Some say they are the golden generation; some say the devil's spawn. But everyone knows they are something to be revered - and feared. Four and a half centuries on, cast adrift from the rest of England by Elizabeth I and still bound by its ancient laws, Rotherweird's independence is subject to one disturbing condition: nobody, but nobody, studies the town or its history. Then an Outsider arrives, a man of unparallelled wealth and power, enough to buy the whole of Rotherweird - deeply buried secrets and all . . . Welcome to Rotherweird. 'A remarkable achievement' Sunday Independent 'Compelling' Guardian

Rotherweird Book I

Celeste Richardson

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rotherweird is a book that’s been on my radar for a while. The cover is incredibly eye-catching. The premise is unique and intriguing, and the story proved to be just that. I can honestly say that I’ve never encountered a setting quite like it. By turns charming and almost sinister, Rotherweird hides deep secrets and a dark past that is utterly unknown to any of its residents. When outsiders, one in the form of a bumbling history teacher and the other in the guise of a wealthy lord who has just purchased the rundown Manor, elbow their ways into Rotherweird and start asking questions, the town faces unpredictable threats and must be protected by some of the area’s most unusual citizens.
“Imagine a new world where Man could start again. What would we preserve? What would we cut down? Would we be more careful with our discoveries?”
Rotherweird might be rooted in our world, but it undoubtedly stands alone. It’s a land apart, and its occupants are both proud of and confused by their home, and its oddities. They are quite literally outside of the law of England, allowed to maintain their independence as long as they adhere to certain rules set into place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The oddest thing about Rotherweird is that the study of world history before 1800, and all of their own history, is strictly forbidden. The reasoning behind this brutally enforced rule is the central axis around which the story’s many mysteries orbit. To say that they’re suspicious of outsiders would be an understatement; such invaders could inadvertently dig up the past and endanger Rotherweird’s independence. There is also a mistrust and dislike that divides the townsfolk from the countrysiders, which further hinders any pursuit into the area’s history.
“An old rage burned –so many startling gifts, so much knowledge gleaned along the way, and yet what a mess Mankind had made of everything.”
One of my favorite things about this book was the incredibly uniqueness of Rotherweird. Though its citizens might be ignorant of its history, they have immense pride in their home. Their events, their celebrations and festivals, are unlike any others held outside of Rotherweird. Their school is second to none, and churns out insanely bright graduates who often remain in Rotherweird and use their intellect towards the betterment of their home. The civic pride shines fiercely all throughout the story. I also enjoyed the odd, unexplained magic at the core of Rotherweird, as well as the history readers were privy to throughout the novel. Both the magic and the history felt very classical, but twisted in unexpected ways.
“He liked it when fact out-coloured fiction.”
I’m glad that I finally got around to reading Rotherweird, but while I enjoyed it, I didn’t love it as much as I hoped I would. I found it to be oddly, sometimes confusingly fantastical. The story was indeed interesting and multifaceted and far from predictable, but I was unable to connect with story, setting, or characters on any deep, emotional level. The storytelling often felt plodding to me, and I would sometimes completely miss important details because they were buried in the bloated prose, and I’d have to backtrack to figure out what I’d overlooked. All of these complaints are incredibly subjective, and I’m sure plenty of readers have and will in the future adore everything about Rotherweird. Despite the issues I had with the book, the core story itself was intriguing enough for me to add its sequel to my reading list.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

Cerys

*4.5
I really didn't expect to enjoy rotherweird as much as I did but it was an amazing listen. The ideas and plot at first seemed too outlandish and bizarre. However as the story unraveled it was very intriguing. I will definitely be reading the next installments and I would recommend!

I really didn't expect to enjoy rotherweird as much as I did but it was an amazing listen. The ideas and plot at first seemed too outlandish and bizarre. However as the story unraveled it was very intriguing. I will definitely be reading the next installments and I would recommend!

The town of Rotherweird stands alone, there are no guidebooks, despite the fascinating and diverse architectural styles cramming the narrow streets, the avant garde science and offbeat customs. Cast adrift from the rest of England by Elizabeth I, Rotherweird's independence is subject to one disturbing condition: nobody, but nobody, studies the town or its history. For beneath the enchanting surface lurks a secret so dark that it must never be rediscovered, still less reused. But secrets have a way of leaking out. Two inquisitive outsiders have arrived: Jonah Oblong, to teach modern history at Rotherweird School (nothing local and nothing before 1800), and the sinister billionaire Sir Veronal Slickstone, who has somehow got permission to renovate the town's long-derelict Manor House.

Moray Lyle McIntosh

I received a free advance copy of this work through netgalley and Jo Fletcher Books in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Such promise in the wonderful cover and the intriguing blurb but sadly I was left dissatisfied. Caldecott's interesting conceit is an English town isolated and made self-governing during the reign of Elizabeth I for reason or reasons unknown. Jonah Oblong, an outsider, becomes embroiled in the affairs of this bizarre place when he is hired as a history teacher at the local school. Modern history only. For Rotherweird is forbidden to study pre-1800 and its own history is also proscribed, by law and Oblong's predecessor vanished after flagrantly breaking this edict. As Oblong takes up his position the equilibrium of the town is unsettled by the arrival of another stranger, the sinister Sir Veronal Slickson who has taken up residence in the empty manor with his vacant wife and unspeakable son. But this family is a lie, a construction designed to give Sir Veronal access to the closed town. The outside world is getting in and clearly Rotherweird's secrets are at risk. I'm almost drawn back in writing a synopsis! And yet the reality was disappointing.

Caldecott is clearly aiming for the bubbling, brooding atmosphere of a modern Gormenghast. You only need to see the outlandish names to recognise the influence, Sidney Snorkel, Vixen Valourhand, Morval Seer, Gorhambury. Unfortunately the names have more character than the characters themselves. Many are interchaneable and several could be removed entirely without any great loss. The narrative is simply overpopulated and it seems like more imagiation has gone into the creation of unlikely names than in developing any particular personalities. Where Mervyn Peake's characters are ridiculous, exaggerated, absurd they are also sympathetic and compelling, even the monstrous Steerpike.

The plot itself is convoluted which gives the impression of complexity but by the end it is clear that this was caused more by the frequent skipping and shifting of scenes between different perspectives, often for only a couple of paragraphs or pages, in a way that is probably more suited to film. And the end. My interest had really waned by the end of the first third but end infuriated me. The trope in which all of the characters sit around a table and rehash the entire plot as a way of explanation is horribly unsophisticated and really only acceptable in the work of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. Here it suggests a lack of confidence in the reader and in the writing if an author has to repeat the story in order to make sure it is understood. And it really wasn't so terribly complex in the first place. 

It appears that Rotherweird is only the first volume in a planned trilogy but I'm afraid that one was enough for me.

Emily Booth

I liked the plot, however, for me the issue was I really should not have listened to this on audiobook. There is a constant change in perspective, which is not easy to track on audio, so I was at a loss who we were with at any given time, and a lot of the characters were referred to by both their first name or their last name alternatively, which again made it difficult. 

Really want to try this again with an actual book as I am sure it will be much more enjoyable.

Manon van Heumen

I wish I could give this book more stars. But 450 pages in which barely anything happens + too many characters + too fancy words didn't do it for me. A bummer, since the blurb sounded absolutely amazing.

Rotherweird

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